Gold Award Girl Scout Highlight - Ruby W.

18 Feb 2019

1. What was the name and purpose of your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award Project, I had the opportunity to create a
commemorative garden in front of the Whitesboro Grammar School (Old
Whitesboro Schoolhouse) in Whitesboro, NJ. My motivation for pursuing
this project was to inform the community and its youth of the history
of the Whitesboro Grammar School. I wanted to bring attention to this
landmark by updating the flowerbeds in front of the building and by
creating a brochure that described its history. I designed a brochure
that was distributed during my project’s dedication ceremony and is
currently made available to anyone entering the Whitesboro Grammar
School. The Whitesboro Grammar School is used for various community
purposes, and copies of my brochure are placed at its entry. The
brochure explains the historic significance of the segregated one-room
schoolhouse and the town’s ties to Booker T. Washington and
Whitesboro’s founder, George Henry White. The role of the Whitesboro
Grammar School is underappreciated, and its rich history goes unnoticed.

I worked with the Concerned Citizens of Whitesboro, a nonprofit that
manages the building, and with their support, I was able to gather
donations from local businesses, such as Cape Shore Gardens, The Home
Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and Wal-Mart as well as receiving
gardening assistance from members of my Troop #46175. I am proud of
the visibility that my project created for the Whitesboro Grammar
School and to play a role in educating the community and younger
generations about it.

2. What sustainable impact did your Gold Award project have on
the community?

Copies of my brochure are available at the Whitesboro Grammar School
for visitors to read, and I created a scrapbook for the Girl Scouts in
my troop to illustrate the steps taken to complete the project. I also
created a landscape maintenance plan for the Concerned Citizens of
Whitesboro who manages the building.

3. What insights/takeaway did you gain from your project?

From this project, I learned the value of patience and persistence.
Planting the flowerbeds took a significant amount of time to weed,
plant, and continually water. I had to submit proposals and meet with
local businesses to receive donations for the plants and equipment. I
researched the history of Whitesboro, NJ, that I incorporated into my brochure.

4. What is your favorite memory from your time working on your Gold Award project?

My favorite memory from my time working on my project was having my
fellow Girl Scouts from my troop help with the planting of the flower
beds. This was a significant amount of work, and I really appreciated
having them there to help. They brought energy and enthusiasm and were
eager to contribute to the project.

5. Anything else you'd like to share?

I am currently a sophomore studying Bioengineering at the University
of Pennsylvania. This project allowed me to develop skills in
problem-solving that I still use today. I want to thank my troop,
Troop #46175 for all of the support and guidance that they provided
me. I encourage younger Girl Scouts to have determination and strength
when facing challenges.